Sweden asks for more help to fight forest fires

The Swedish Government on Thursday decided to allow the the Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) to request international assistance from countries not included in the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism to fight the ongoing forest fires in Sweden.

For a limited period, from 26 July to10 August 2018, the MSB may request international assistance for rescue operations in the form of firefighting aircraft. Through the Partnership for Peace (PFF), Sweden is able to request international support from NATO members and partner countries under the PFF.

The government’s decision was taken after MSB had submitted a request for international assistance from countries not included in the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

In view of the extreme forest fires, Sweden – through the MSB – has received numerous offers of international support. MSB has accepted and received support from countries within the framework of the Nordic civil protection agreement (Nordred) and the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

The government also decided on Friday that the MSB should be given greater ability to compensate the affected municipalities for the costs arising from the forest fires. According to a preliminary assessment, this may amount to close to SEK 300 million (about $34m) in compensation for municipal emergency services.

The government will also increase resources to NGOs to compensate for the costs that they have incurred as a result of their assistance during the fires and that cannot be compensated by other means.